Being inspired by Dagmar's fine art wall hangings on exhibition in Odense, Denmark during 'Felt in Focus' 2009 I swore then that I'd take a workshop of hers when this was one of the projects that would be offered for participants to explore. [caption id="attachment_3869" align="alignleft"...
My sister Lizzy requested a little cell phone holder as one of her Christmas presents and since this proved to be a big hit with various members of the family I decided to get in gear and felt some more! Working with woven mohair off...
I started this morning by free machine embroidering a couple of abstract felt landscapes. It's difficult for me to decide when enough is enough with this sort of work, my personal preference has always been for NO stitching or embellishing but I do realise that...
On Saturday Mairead and Sharon really knuckled down to create beautiful pieces of flat felt in the morning and both felted wonderful vessels in the afternoon. It's always interesting sharing techniques with other artists because once I demonstrate the basic skills I love watching how...
Wow, thanks to all of you who have been commenting and leaving such great suggestions about my current woes and successes with free machining on felt, I am going to take everything on board, promise! Yes, I know that I have always sworn off stitching...
Many of you know that any kind of sewing has always brought me out in a dreadful sweat and for donkeys years I have sworn NEVER to stitch for pleasure. I did however break the habit of a lifetime this summer in order to participate...
There's still so much information to share about what I was working on at both the second day of the Kirsten Lundberg printing workshop during Felt in Focus and at the book launch party with Chrissie last weekend but I've finally realised I am never...
I have been flat out this week trying to finish my work for Kilkenny Arts Festival which opens next weekend. Most of my pieces are totally wet felted but a couple have some free machine embroidery to add surface detail, I know, I can't believe...
This short post is mainly in response to those of you who have been emailing and otherwise asking questions about Kirsten and the binders/pigments we used during the workshop she facilitated at Felt in Focus. Many of you (most of you!) may need to...
Here is a teaser photo from my main neckpiece completed during Lisa Klakulak's workshop, more tomorrow! [caption id="attachment_2908" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Free machine embroidery using a selection of threads and differing tensions"][/caption] Thanks a bunch for all the positive comments about my first adventures into free machine embroidery,...
It is just not going to be possible to blog comprehensively about all the new techniques learnt and information absorbed at Felt in Focus, firstly there is definitely not enough time and secondly a lot of it is in my head and will be transmitted...
It's a beautiful warm and sunny morning here in Roskilde, Denmark so Kirsten and I have planned a morning of relaxing, felting and possibly a really short session of rust dying, heaven!!! I have so many ideas in my head after our wonderful week participating at Felt in Focus...
I spent a wonderful time with old and new friends at Felt in Focus and the journey continues with Kirsten Lund, her husband Niels and Pam de Groot in Roskilde, Kirsten and Niels's beautiful home in Roskilde near Copenhagen. On Monday I return home so...
This July I am teaching 2 workshops in the wonderful new space at The Yarn Room in Ashford, Co. Wicklow. 'Revisiting the Basics of Wet Felting' takes place on Saturday July 16th and 'Nuno Felt Scarves' the following week on Saturday 23rd, full details available...
I've been to the library, discovered I've won some gorgeous hand spun from my buddy Heather, run a wash, stocked up on brown soda bread and milk as well as 100 dressmakers pins this morning (more in a minute) and now I'm ready for a...
It's 12.30 at night and I have finally made Horst and Gina's beds, Kirsten's will just have to wait until tomorrow evening! I still have about another hour of organising/tidying to go but I must say that Dawn's ultimate method of shoving everything into a...
[caption id="attachment_1722" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Sleeveless top with flower brooch"][/caption] I know that I promised you photos of my reversible nuno felt poncho/wrap in my last post but since yesterday afternoon the poncho has taken on a new identity masquerading as a fabulous sleeveless top! It is...
Last summer at the Felt in Focus symposium in Denmark Lyda Rump had some wonderful hand dyed fabric the like of which I had never seen before and which she explained to us was called etamine, it was 100% wool. I do remember that Lyda said it was particularily suited...
Well, I shouldn't have blogged the other day about the creative juices somewhat flowing because that just seemed to jinx things and it has taken a long time to get my new bag designed and felted! I wasn't happy with the initial sample (the one...
I am delighted to announce that Lyda Rump will be facilitating two seperate felting workshops here at Clasheen next February! Lyda is a fantastic textile artist who is gifted at passing on her experience. You may remember that I attended a brilliant workshop of hers at Felt...
It's wet and windy outside today and I can quite see why those yaks need to grow a soft undercoat during the winter months to keep themselves all warm and snug! Luckily I was able to buy some beautiful soft yak fibre from Blas and...
Well I have so much news to write about and only so much time to do it in! Sigrid travelled back to Germany on Thursday after a wonderful 2 weeks together here at Clasheen and since then I am trying to catch up on household...
On the first day of Sigrid's visit our Irish weather lived up to it's reputation, very wet and windy although not too cold! As a result we decided to felt together on Friday and leave it until Saturday for a trip to the coast. With all...
The second felt workshop that I participated in at 'Felt in Focus' was fairly large felt sculptures with Anna Gunnarsdottir from Iceland. This was a brilliant experience and taught me a totally new way of looking at resists! As with Lyda's complex bag workshop I...
Before I left Denmark to travel home to Ireland I borrowed Holly's computer and set up a Flickr group for 'Felt in Focus'. The idea for this is that the participants and organisers can share photos and continue friendships by participating in the discussion board through...
I decided not to attend the optional evening talk which was organised on day one of Lyda Rump's workshop as I really wanted to get started laying out my backpack. The resist had been cut out of laminate floor underlay as usual and I started by rolling...
To answer a question about working with glass nuggets or indeed stones or other found objects in felt, Lyda uses a great method to ensure that they stay in position. Previously I have felted with glass but found that it tended to move within the felt layers therefore I...
I know that you have already seen an image of my first sample but here is a close up so hopefully you will be able to follow what I am talking about! [caption id="attachment_838" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Close up of sample 1Sample 2"][/caption] Lyda had brought a great...
After a great breakfast and a morning assembly all the participants in Lyda Rump's complex bag workshop met in our classroom. We oohed and aahed over the amazing bags that Lyda had brought to show us (check out some of them here in her gallery)...
Well, it is going to be impossible to relate all the excitement of 'Felt in Focus' on the blog but I am going to try! I have decided to write quite a few posts over the next two weeks documenting the experience from start to...
